Justice News

Anchorage Man Convicted Of Child Exploitation Charges

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man was convicted on Monday, March 23, 2015, in a case involving an American exploiting children in Cambodia.

A federal jury found Jason Jayavarman guilty of two counts: attempted sexual exploitation of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(c), and attempted travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2423(b).

Jayavarman, 45, was tried before U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason in Anchorage. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey J. Renschen and U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Trial Attorney Ravi Sinha, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that Jayavarman produced multiple videos of child pornography in Cambodia, between 2010 and 2013, which he then transported to the United States.

The evidence also established that, at the time of his arrest, Jayavarman planned a trip to Cambodia with the intent that, upon arrival, he and another individual, later revealed to be an undercover FBI agent, would engage in commercial sex acts with children as young as 12.

Jayavarman’s child exploitation activities came to light following a concerned citizen’s anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers. Jayavarman remains in custody pending sentencing. Based on the charges of conviction, Jayavarman faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison, as well as lifetime registration as a sex offender.

United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler noted, “These verdicts are the result of our committed efforts, working with all of our law enforcement partners, to fight exploitation of children, wherever it occurs, with all resources at our disposal and to prosecute those who prey on children to the fullest extent of the law".

Ms. Loeffler commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Anchorage Police Department, and Crime Stoppers for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jayavarman.